Pedlar's Acre
Preserved but no longer current.
According to tradition, a pedlar of Lambeth parish left a sum of money, on condition that his picture, with a dog, should be preserved for ever in glass m one of the church windows. In the south win- dow of the middle aisle, sure enough, such a picture exists; but probably it is a rebus on Chapman, the name of some benefactor.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Pedlar's Acre” mean?
According to tradition, a pedlar of Lambeth parish left a sum of money, on condition that his picture, with a dog, should be preserved for ever in glass m one of the church windows. In the south win- dow of the middle aisle, sure enough, such a picture exists; but probably it is a rebus on Chapman, the name of some benefactor.
Is “Pedlar's Acre” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.